With a state engineer on board, design work is underway on the transformation of Bullard Avenue, between Greenway Road and Peoria Avenue, city staff informed the Bullard Avenue Task Force, Thursday evening.

Per task force recommendation, this stretch of Bullard Avenue will be restored to two travel lanes in each direction, while maintaining the 35 mile-per-hour speed limit. Traffic signals will also be added at the Acoma and Sweetwater intersections, to complement existing crosswalks.

With five schools located in the area and more than 600 students crossing Bullard during the school year, the city secured $1.7 million in federal grant money, including a $500,000 city match, for a total of $2.2 million to fund safety improvements. As a federally-funded project, it must be administered through the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

Bike lanes and cycle tracks (safety buffers), along with landscaping are included in the project.

Design and drainage plan drafts and an environmental assessment are expected to be completed this summer. Final reports are scheduled for completion this fall. The project bid is expected to be advertised in early 2018, with construction planned for May 2018 – October 2018. The previously announced tentative construction start date of late 2017 was pushed back to allow for the selection of a project engineer and for securing additional grant money to cover the costs of installing a landscaped median.

Event date: February 22, 2018 Event Time: 06:00 PM - 08:00 PMLocation: 13165 N. Autoshow AvenueSurprise, AZ 85388Description:Join Councilmember Patrick Duffy to discuss the issues that are important to you and learn more about what’s happening across the city.

Event date: February 28, 2018 Event Time: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PMLocation: 16418 N Bullard Avenue Surprise, AZ 85374Description:This is a request for a Conditional Use Permit (case FS17-731) to allow for a new Major Vehicle Repair facility in approximately 2.9 acres generally located north of Bell Road and east of Dysart Road.